Transform Federal Business Operations: Join the RPA Community of Practice

For anyone who is bogged down by repetitive, mundane tasks, robotic process automation (RPA) may be an optimal solution. RPA refers to software that is programmed to digitally emulate human actions and automate repetitive, high-volume tasks. For the federal government, RPA is a powerful automation tool, enabling employees to focus on higher-value work.

As agencies began using RPA to do the heavy lifting, the RPA Community of Practice (CoP) was formed to help agencies overcome the technical, managerial, and operational challenges that arise when building an effective RPA program. In January, the RPA CoP published the RPA Playbook to guide agencies as they develop their RPA programs. The playbook is a great resource for agencies embarking on the RPA journey, as well as existing programs looking to mature their operations. Today, the RPA CoP is proud to announce the publication of the Internal Controls (IC) Addendum. This document, which builds upon the foundations set forth by the playbook, addresses the common controls challenges such as audability, security and compliance, and program performance.

In addition, the RPA CoP recently published the Use Case Inventory, a detailed list of more than 320 automations within the federal government. This resource, available to all federal employees, is designed to provide agencies with inspiration and insight into potential RPA solutions. Moving forward, the Use Case Inventory will be updated as the number of automations across the government expands.

To join in the conversation, we encourage interested federal employees to join the RPA CoP Listserv. This is the best way to be notified about future events (such as the Credentialing Policy for Emerging Technology webinar that was held on July 9). Additionally, on July 16, USDA will present an overview of their RPA Program and development process. If you have any questions relating to the community or RPA, please do not hesitate to reach out to RPACOP@gsa.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!